Hybrid Bonding Patent Landscape Analysis 2024: Evolution of Leading Players' Positions and Entry of New Patent Applicants - ResearchAndMarkets.com

The "Hybrid Bonding - Patent Landscape Analysis 2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Hybrid bonding technology emerged in 2005 with the introduction of Ziptronix's direct bond interconnect (DBI) technology. In 2015, Tessera (now Adeia) acquired Ziptronix, and DBI technology entered the market in 2016 through Sony's CMOS image sensor (CIS) used in Samsung's Galaxy S7 mobile phone. Since then, hybrid bonding technology has been explored for various applications, including memory, logic, RF, and photonics, and it is now being adopted by more companies across the semiconductor industry.

Over the past five years, hybrid bonding technology has become a key enabler of advanced semiconductor packaging, leading to a strong increase in patenting activity and a significant evolution of the competitive intellectual property (IP) landscape. Major patent owners have strengthened their IP positions in the US, China, and Europe, while various new players have entered the patent landscape. It is now crucial for companies operating in the semiconductor packaging industry to closely examine hybrid bonding technology from an IP perspective.

This report is focusing on the hybrid bonding process and semiconductor devices made using hybrid bonding interconnects. Over 5,800 patents from more than 1,600 patent families (inventions) have been selected. This report aims to provide insights into current IP activities, the positions of key IP players, the applications they target in their patents, and how their patent portfolios can support their market strategies.

Understanding the main trends, the key players' IP Position and IP Strategy

Through patent analysis, the report describes the position of IP players, unveils their strategies to strengthen their IP portfolio, highlights their capability to limit the patenting activity and freedom-to-operate of other firms, identifies promising new players, and forecasts what would be the future IP leaders. IP competition analysis should reflect the vision of players with a strategy to enter and develop their business in the advanced semiconductor packaging market.

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the competitive IP landscape and latest technological developments related to hybrid bonding technology. The report covers IP dynamics and key trends in terms of patents applications, patent assignees, filing countries, patented technologies, and targeted applications. It also identifies the IP leaders, most active patent applicants, and sheds light on under-the-radar companies and new players in this field.

Invention type, Targeted applications, and Key Patents

The patents have been categorized according to the type of claimed invention (hybrid bonding manufacturing methods and interface engineering, equipment for hybrid bonding technology, hybrid bonded semiconductor structures or devices) and the applications mentioned in the patents (image sensors, 2.5D/3D ICs, 3D-stacked memories, photonics, MEMS, RF, etc.). The 2.5D/3D IC segment is currently driving patenting activity, while patents related to other applications, such as photonics, microLED, MEMS, and RF, have surged.

A Dynamic IP Landscape: Evolution of leading players' Positions and entry of new Patent applicants

TSMC, Adeia, YMTC, Intel, and Samsung are leading the patent landscape, increasing patenting activity, and expanding invention protection in key countries. As pioneer and owner of DBI technology, Adeia has adopted an aggressive strategy to assert its patents and license its hybrid bonding IP portfolio to various semiconductor companies, including Sony, YMTC, Micron, and Kioxia. Despite its strong IP position, other players have been developing their own hybrid bonding patent portfolios.

In recent years, more memory makers have become involved in the IP landscape (CXMT, SK Hynix, Sunrise Memory), and OSATs and equipment/materials suppliers have entered the IP arena (ASE, TongFu, SJSemi, Applied Materials, Saultech, HD MicroSystems). In this report, we provide an overview of the IP portfolios held by key players and describe key patents and recent IP activities. Additionally, we highlight the main IP collaborations (co-owned patents, IP transfers, licensing agreements) and patent litigations.

Excel Patent Database

This report includes an extensive Excel database with all patents analyzed in this study, including patent information (numbers, dates, assignees, title, abstract, etc.) and hyperlinks to an updated online database (original documents, legal status, etc.), affiliation segments (manufacturing methods, equipment, semiconductor devices, image sensors, 2.5D/3D IC, 3D-stacked memory, etc.), and key patents.

Additionally, the Excel file comprises the complete data by assignee from the statistical analyses, including the number of patent families, timeline of patenting activity, number of granted patents and pending patent applications, and geographical coverage of patent portfolio.

Key Topics Covered:

PATENT LANDSCAPE OVERVIEW

• Main trends and IP players
  • Time evolution of patent publications
  • Main patent assignees
  • Timeline of IP players
  • Typology of main IP players
  • IP newcomers
  • Current legal status of main players' patents
  • IP leadership of patent assignees and evolution from
  • Geographical coverage of main players' patents
• Main IP collaborations
  • Co-owned IP
  • IP transfers
  • Licensing agreements
• Patent segmentation
  • Segments definition
  • Type of claimed invention:
    • Hybrid bonding manufacturing process and interface engineering
    • Apparatus/Equipment for hybrid bonding
    • Semiconductor structure or device made using hybrid bonding interconnects
• Targeted applications
  • Image sensor (SPADs, CMOS image sensors, light sensing devices, etc.)
  • 2.5D/3D IC (assembly of any type of IC dies, excluding memory-on-memory)
  • 3D-stacked memory (memory-on-memory)
  • Other applications (RF, MEMS, Photonics, LEDs, etc.)
• Time evolution of patent publication by segment
• Main patent assignees by segment
• IP leadership of patent assignees for each segment

KEY PATENTS

• Most important patents in terms of prior-art, IP risks and technology
• Segments to which key patents belong
• Owners of key patents

IP PROFILE OF A SELECTION OF PATENT ASSIGNEES

TSMC, Adeia/Xperi, TongFu, ASE

• For each player:
  • Patent portfolio overview (IP dynamics, segments, legal status, geographic coverage, etc.)
  • Description of key patents
  • Description of recent patent applications

PATENT LITIGATION

Company Coverage Includes:

• TSMC
• YMTC
• Xperi/Adeia
• Intel
• Samsung
• XMC
• Micron
• Tongfu Microelectronics
• ASE
• Meta (Facebook)
• Nanya Technology
• CXMT
• Huawei
• Onsemi
• OmniVision
• AMD
• ICLeague Technology
• Monolithic 3D
• UMC/Wavetek
• Qualcomm
• SJSemi
• Saultech
• SK Hynix
• Tsinghua University
• CEA
• imec
• Galaxycore Microelectronics
• Apple
• EVG
• HD MicroSystems
• NCAP
• STMicroelectronics
• Applied Materials
• Resonac
• GlobalFoundries
• SunRise Memory
• Alibaba Group
• AP Memory
• SMIC
• Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing
• MICLEDI
• AMS-Osram
• SmartSens Technology
• Shenzhen Aoshiwei Technology
• MediaTek
• IBM
• RTX Corporation
• pSemi
• Winbond electronics
• Sony
• NVIDIA
• Haiguang Information Technology
• Shanghai Huali Integrated Circuit Manufacturing
• JCET Group
• SEMES
• Tectus Group
• Hanmi
• Western Digital
• Shibaura Mechatronics
• Ningbo Semiconductor International Corporation (NSI)
• HIDM - Huaian Imaging Device Manufacturer
• Bruker
• Suzhou Ultiview Technology
• KLA
• Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group
• Anhui Xinbiyou Information Technology
• Tokyo Electron
• Shanghai Yibu Semiconductor
• HTSI
• GROQ
• Dixtech innovation
• Qingdao New Core Technology
• PsiQuantum
• Canon
• Infineon
• Shanghai Biren Intelligent Technology
• Yangtze River Advanced Storage Industry Innovation Center
• G-ray Switzerland

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